Thane "Blindman" Valcarce
Appearance :Thane is naturally lanky, with all his muscle in his arms and upper body. His short, thick brown hair gets bleached to a rusty reddish-brown hue in the summer but looks black when wet. He has a strong, squared jaw and small eyes that sparkle when he laughs--if he ever laughs. His facial hair of choice is a neatly-trimmed soulpatch. When using his powers, his eyes go from blue-gray to cloudy silver. He also has tattoos on his arms and an ugly knife scar on his stomach from a bad accident when he was a child. Street Clothes :Most of the time Thane isn't on missions he spends at the gym, working out or playing sports to keep his agility up. As such, his normal clothes typically consists of basketball shorts with compression shorts underneath and T-shirts with the Lakers' emblem proudly emblazoned on its front. When he's simply relaxing, he wears T-shirts with jeans. Uniform :Thane's uniform consists of loose-fitting black shorts with a skin-tight black sleeveless shirt and Brotherhood green stripes along the sides. He also wears a black belt with his Brotherhood comm clipped onto it. Finally, he dons small reflective bucklers on his wrists that can deflect small elemental projectiles or take the edge off more powerful blasts. Notable Equipment :IF APPLICABLE (Note: This section is for equipment that remains on the character's person regardless of their outfit, for items that contribute to a character's "powers" or abilities, weapons not mentioned in "Uniform" category, items exclusive to the character, etc.) Personality :Blindman is very quiet. It seems like most of the time he’s angry and simply trying to keep it under control by maintaining silence. However, he is also very cool under pressure. Talking to him is like talking to a brick wall; his responses--if he even gives any--are always in short, quick sentences. All in all, he is a very difficult one to read. He is always a follower, never a leader, and he is swift to obey orders. Powers and Abilities Tactile Enhancement :When he activates his power (which can sometimes switch on automatically when he is under stress), he gains an extraordinary sense of touch. He can feel the breaths of anyone and everyone in an average-sized room and pinpoint their locations simply by feeling their breath either on his face or by holding up his hand. By touching the ground, he can feel any movement that occurs within a ten-yard radius around him, unless it's something airborne. This makes him extremely hard to catch off-guard. Weaknesses :Blindness. He goes completely blind when using his powers. He can't see anything. Also, the only sense that heightens during his blindness is his sense of touch. He has average human smell, sight, and hearing. Airborne attackers do a little better against him because he can’t feel the pounding of their footfalls, but since he can still feel the changes in the air currents and breath, ranged weapons are still the best way to go to take him out. He can't feel any movement past ten yards out. His ability to sense breathing only works within ten feet of him--otherwise he must feel the ground in order to sense any incoming movement. Other Abilities :Blindman has a great deal of first-hand experience street fighting with knives and fist-fighting. He hates weapons and prefers to use his fists. He is known for his powerful strikes and dirty moves to stay alive. Relationships Family :To this day, Thane refuses to refer to his birth father by name, instead referring to him by the moniker his mother always used around her two young sons--"He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named." Clearly, Thane and his father were not close. MORE INFO HERE Marcus "Oblivion" Foraza :Marcus was among the people who helped Thane hone his abilities so he could better control his "blackouts" and utilize them to his advantage, not his detriment. It was initially odd to be training under a young man his age, but Marcus's no-nonsense attitude once they got down to business--and Marcus's confidence--earned Thane's respect almost immediately. He appreciated someone who knew what they wanted and how to get it. So when Blindman joined the Brotherhood, it was little wonder that he quickly sought out Marcus's company. Marcus was only too happy to oblige, adoring the attention and undying loyalty the freshman Brotherhood agent gave him. :Even to this day, Marcus and Thane remain close partners, if not friends. History Backstory ---- :Surprisingly, Thane started out thin, shrimpy, and non-athletic--much like his little brother, Kale. The two of them were raised by a single mom in the worst part of Conark city, a locale known for its numerous gangs, rampant crime, and corrupt politicians. Needless to say, their childhood was very dangerous, especially when their mother started seeing a man who was a gang member and almost perpetually drunk. Ms. Valcarce’s boyfriend would often get violent, unfortunately for the small family. :It wasn't until Thane was eight, and Kale four, that Thane’s little brother’s powers kicked in for the very first time. Kale discovered that night that he was a telepath. Both brothers were sleeping in their bedroom when Kale awoke, eyes wide. Waking Thane, he whimpered that something was wrong, and that their mom's boyfriend was “thinking scary thoughts.” Thane and Kale tiptoed out of their room just as a fight broke out between boyfriend and girlfriend. The fight ended with their mom being struck to the ground. Kale and Thane both jumped in. The fight ended almost before it’d begun, with Thane giving the abusive jerk a good few punches that sent the drunkard packing, never to return. After that, Kale eagerly began to train his powers, and both of them worked to develop their fist-fighting skills to protect their family. Unfortunately, their mother made barely enough to get by, and when she could no longer support them, the family splintered. Thane was seventeen. His brother was only thirteen. :This was when Thane began to experience what he would call "blackouts," times when his vision would inexplicably blur, or go out altogether. He’d always had poor eyesight, but the blurring and sudden loss of vision was new and began to happen more and more frequently. It nearly cost him his life on more than one occasion. Thane was beginning to grow frightened, never knowing when his vision was going to fail him. He ran to the only source of strength he could find at the time: a Brotherhood recruiter that had showed up in the middle of a brewing gang war that Thane was about to get caught in the middle of. :The recruiter reassured Thane that the “blackouts” he feared so much were actually good--they were signs that his powers were bubbling to the surface. The recruiter encouraged him to consciously try to bring on the blackouts, try to harness them. Thane did so, and he quickly noticed that during his controlled blackouts, his sense of touch increased exponentially. :Thane continued to train with Brotherhood members to hone his abilities, until the point where he could control it at any time, anywhere. He also was reunited with his younger brother, who had also been recruited into the Brotherhood, and was slated to be partnered with one of the men who helped him train his abilities--Marcus Foraza, codenamed Oblivion. HEADING #1 ---- :HISTORY DESCRIPTION HERE HEADING #2 ---- :HISTORY DESCRIPTION HERE List of Character Appearances *APPEARANCE #1 *APPEARANCE #2 Character Also Mentioned In: *ARTICLEMENTIONEDIN Notes Category:Browse Category:Content Category:Characters Category:NPCs Category:Original NPCs Category:Retired NPCs Category:Brotherhood of Evil Category:Earth Category:Humans Category:Martial Artists Category:Tactile Enhancers Category:Titans Together